Track-raising machine.



J. L. FOX, A. R. HORN & J. J. GALLAGHAN.

TRACK RAISING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1912.

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Patented Dec. 17, 1912.

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17170172 and allqy x Attorneys J. L. FOX, A. R. HORN & J. J. G ALLAGHAN. TRACK RAISING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1912. 1,()4 7,] 93, Patented Dec. 17, 1912.

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Attorney s UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN L. FOX, ALBRO It. HORN, AND JOHN CALLAGHAN, OF GARY, INDIANA.

TRACK-RAISING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 17, 1912.

Application filed July 24, 1912. Serial No. 711,315.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN L. Fox, ALBRO R. I'IORN, and JOHN J. OALLAGHAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Gary, in the county of Lake, State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Track-Raising Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for raising tracks and is more particularly a machine of that type adapted to travel along the track to be raised.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a machine of this character having all of its mechanism arranged on the truck.

Another object is to provide improved means for engaging the rails, said means being so constructed as to hold the rails firmly and without danger of releasing them while the rails are being lifted.

A further object is to provide means whereby the rail engaging elements can be quickly raised or lowered, this being especially advantageous whereit is desired to avoid obstructions in the path of said elements during the movement of the machine along the track.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings :Figure 1 is a side eleva'tion of a hand operated machine. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlargcd elevation of the rail, gripping elements and their operating parts, adjacent portions being shown in section. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the two members of the rail gripping elements disconnected. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of another form of machine embodying the present improvements. Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section through a portion thereof.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates ypke-like side frame members supported, at their ends, by the axles 2 of the wheels 3. Straight side strips 4 are connected to the end portions of the side members 1 and interposed between these side strips 4 and the middle portions of the frame members 1 are oppositely disposed channel beams 5 extending transversely of the machine and spaced apart, these beams being bolted or otherwise fastened to the parts 1 and 4 so as to form, therewith, a strong rigid frame constituting the body of the machine. The beams 5 project laterally beyond the plane of movement of the wheels 3 and secured to the inner faces of the beams 5 at points between the projecting ends thereof are downwardly extending longitudinally slotted guide hangers 6. Arranged between the hangers at each side of the machine are pivotally connected arms 7 and 8, such as shown in detail in Fig. 4, each of these arms being provided, at its lower end, with a rail engaging jaw 9 and, at an intermediate point, with an eye 10. The eye of the arm 7 is intersected by a recess 11 designed to receive the eye 10 of the other arm 8 and a pivot pin 12 extends through the eyes, while thus assembled, the ends of this pin being mounted to slide within the slots in hangers 6. That end portion of each arm 7 and 8 which is remote from the jaw 9 is offset so as to extend in a direction opposite to that in which the jaw is extended, the ofiset portion of each of the arms being indicated at 13. Pivotally connected to the free ends of these offset portions are links 14 which are, in turn, disposed in lapped relation and pivotally connected, as at 15, to the lower end of a bar 16. This bar is slidably mounted between the hangers 6 and is pivotally connected, at its upper end, to a lever 17 fulcrumed, as at 18, upon a bracket 19 on the truck frame. A segment 20 is arranged close to the lever and has spaced notches 21 and 22 either of which is adapted to be engaged by a spring pressed pawl 23 carried by the lever. The parts are so proportioned that when lever 17 is swung downwardly so as to bring pawl 23 into the notch 22, the bar 16 will shift the links 14 downwardly until they are brought into alinement, thus swinging the offset upper ends 13 of the arms 7 and 8 away from each other and causing the jaws 9 to move toward each other. These jaws will thus engage the head of a rail which may be interposed between them. The positions of the parts as above described have been shown in Fig. 3.

When lever 17 is moved upwardly so as to bring pawl 23 into notch 21, the bar 16 pulls on the links 14 and causes them to draw the offset portions or extensions 13 toward each other, thereby swinging the jaws 9 apart and releasing any objectwhich may be engaged thereby.

Arranged between the cross beams 5 and close to the frame members 1 are lifting jacks each of which includes a tubular standard 24 fixedly connected in any suitable manner to the frame of the truck and having a rack bar 25 mounted to slide therein. A foot 26 is located at the lower end of the rack bar and an actuating lever 27 is mounted for oscillation on the standard 24 and is provided with any suitable arrangement of pawls and detents for causing the rack bar 25 to shift downwardly intermittently when lever 27 is oscillated.

Chains or other suitable flexible elements 28 may be connected to the feet of the rack bars 25 and extended into engagement with channeled segments 29 carried by lifting le- 4 vers 30 mounted on the truck.. These chains may be adjustably connected to the segments in any manner desired and it is to be understood that by means of these levers the feet 26 can be held supported out of contact with the road bed when it is-not desired to use the jack.

The machine herein described can be pushed or otherwise propelled along the track to be raised and, when brought to the position where the track is to be elevated, the rack bars 25 are permitted to engage the road bed between the ties after which the levers 17 are swung downwardly so as to bring'the jaws 9 at opposite sides of the rails A. It is to be understood that the jaws 9 are normally spaced apart to their greatest extent so that, when the arms 7 and S are lowered the heads of the rails can be received readily between the jaws. soon as the parts are thus positioned, levers 17 are pushed farther downward, thereby causing the bars 16 to press against the connected ends of the links 14. The saidlinks will thus push in opposite directions against the extensions or ofiset ends 13 of the arms 7 and 8 until the links are brought intoalinement whereupon pawls 23 will become seated in the notches 22. During this final downward movement of the levers the jaws 9 are swung under the heads of the rails A and caused to bind tightly upon them. By

.now actuating the levers 27 the rack bars 25 can be forced downwardly, thus elevating the truck and the rails which are bound against its wheels by the rail engaging elements. After stone or other material has been tamped under the elevated ties, the

truck can be gradually lowered by means of levers 17, until the rack bars 25 have been relieved of their load after which said bars Asv can be quickly elevated by means of levers 30 and segments 29, the levers 27 being first entirely disengaged from the rack bars 25. Levers 17 are then swung upwardly so as to pull on links 14 and cause the jaws 9 to swing outwardly out of engagement with the rails A. The machine can thus be driven forward and, should there be an obstruction on the track, the jaws 9 can be quickly raised above the railsby swinging the levers 17 upwardly and thus sliding the pins 12 within the slots in hanger 6.

Importance is attached to the fact that, during the gripping and raising operation the links 14 are in alinement. Thus it will be seen that the jaws 9 are locked in engaging position and the levers 17 and pawls 16 are relieved of all strain due to the application of the weight of the load to the jaws 9.

Although the truck can be moved by hand and the jacks likewise operated by hand in the manner hereinbefore described, it is to be understood that other means may be employed for actuating the jacks. For example, and as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the ma.- chine can be driven by a motor 31 and this motor can also'be used to drive a shaft 32 extending transversely of the machine. Gears 33 may be provided at each end of Fig. 6. Each .of these gears is adapted to mesh with another ear 34 secured to a. threaded shaft 35 extending downwardly within a casing36 and engages the threaded bore 37 in the stem 38 which projects upwardly from the-foot39 of the jack. Thus it will be seen that by transmitting power from the motor to the threaded shaft 35, the machine can be raised. While the machine is not-in use for raising tracks the motor 31 can be employed for propelling the machine along the tracks.

It will be apparent that the track raising machine herein described is comparatively light because it is not rovided with intricate and heavy mechanism. Thus it can be readily removed from the track whenever it is desired to permit a train to pass. Another advantage incident to the present structure is the fact that the rail engaging jaws can be quickly elevated above the rail, whenever desired and remain spread apart while thus elevated. In fact these jaws are always spread apart until the jaws are lowered to points below the heads of the rails whereupon the pins 12 by coming against the lower ends of the slots in hangers 6, limit farther downward movement of the jaws and, consequently, continued downward movement of the bars 16 cause the upper ends of the arms 7 and 8 to spread apart.

What is claimed is 1. Track raising mechanism including a wheel supported truck, means carried thereby for elevating the truck relative to the this shaft, one of them being illustrated in road bed, a guide, arms mounted to swing relative to each other and slidable relative to the guide, said arms having rail engaging jaws, pivotally connected llnks interpose between and pivotally connected to the arms, means engaging the links for raising and lowering the arms, and means engaging the guide for limiting the downward movement of the arms. v

2. Track raising mechanism including a wheel supported truck, means carried thereby for elevating the truck relative to the road bed, a guide depending from the truck, pivotally connected arms slidable relative to the guide and having rail engaging jaws at their lower ends, the upper ends of the arms being oflset, pivotally connected links interposed between and pivot-ally connected to said oifset portions of the arms, means engaging said links for raising and lowering the arms, and means upon the arms and engaging the guide for limiting the downward movement of the arms.

3. Track raising mechanism including a Wheel supported truck, means carried thereby for elevating the truck relative to the road bed, a guide depending from the truck, pivotally connected arms slidable relative to the guide and having rail engaging jaws at their lower ends, the upper ends of the arms being offset, pivotally connected links interposed between and pivotally connected to said oflset portions of the arms, means engaging said links for raising and lowering the arms, and means upon the arms and entruck, pivotally connected arms slidable relative to the guide and having rail engaging jaws at thelr lower ends, the upper ends of the arms bein ofli'set,-pivotally connected links interposed etween and pivotally connected to said ofiset portions of the arms, means engaging said links for raising and lowering the arms, means upon the arms and engaging the guide for limiting the downward movement of the arms, said links being shiftable into alinement to spread apart and hold the offset portions of the arms when the jaws are lowered to opposite sides of a rail to be engaged, and means for locking the lever with the jaws in raised and in lowered ositions.

In testimony that we claim the foregoin as our own, we have hereto aflixed our si natures in the resence of two witnesses.

OHN L. FOX. ALBRO R. HORN. JOHN J. CALLAGHAN. Witnesses:

W. F. HoRN, H. EWRY C. PRICE. 

